


As the Seasons Pass

by jacksparrow589



Series: A Bright and Shining Future [2]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Shirbert, Shirbert through the seasons, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and eventually college, lots of kisses, they're going to queens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-29 21:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21416935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksparrow589/pseuds/jacksparrow589
Summary: After the events of "A Bright and Shining Future", we get a few glimpses into Anne and Gilbert's courtship through the seasons until that blessed day: their wedding. Gets slightly hotter and heavier as they get older, and thus is rated T.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: A Bright and Shining Future [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1543936
Comments: 35
Kudos: 532





	1. Summer I (The Summer Before Queen’s)

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel series one person wanted and asked for, and my brain said "sure", so here we are! Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

The weeks after that near-disastrous day pass in a haze.

Miss Stacy is the first to find out as her star pupils arrive early to the exam results celebration arm-in-arm. Diana, not far behind, arrives beaming ear-to-ear.

Anne has let go of Gilbert's arm and is instead talking animatedly with Diana while Gilbert stands close and observes when Ruby, Tillie, Josie, and Jane arrive in a group with Moody, Charlie, and the two Pauls.

Moody, of course, feels obligated by the universe and his own unfortunate luck to ask what has become of Winifred. The girls, horrified, attempt to shush him because no news can only mean bad news on the engagement front, and they have heard nothing.

Miss Stacy is ready to intervene, but Gilbert manages to nonchalantly say that it didn't work out. Moody, clearly expecting more details, mumbles “Oh, that's unfortunate,” when it's clear no more details are coming his way.

It is Josie, ever eagle-eyed, who catches Diana's stricken glance between Anne and Gilbert. She pulls Diana aside and asks what that look was all about, and don't tell her it's nothing; the class has been gossiping about them for the last three years, and Winifred was an unexpected diversion. Diana demures that it's not her story to tell. Josie nods, walks away, and proceeds to grab Anne's arm and drag her aside.

“If it's not Diana's story to tell, it's yours. Is Gilbert courting you?” Anne's eyes flick to Gilbert, but she says nothing, instead staring at Josie and opening and closing her mouth like a fish. Josie smirks. “Well done, Anne. Only took three years.”

Anne finally squeaks, “Well you were certainly no help, telling me that Ruby...” she trails off.

“And now that that's no longer an issue... I'm happy for you, Anne.” Josie smiles mostly sincerely.

They walk back to the table. Gilbert is staring at Anne with some concern. Moody, of all people, finally twigs in a moment of clarity that stuns the entire gathering. “Wait, Gilbert, you’re courting _Anne?!”_

“Oh dear,” Miss Stacy murmurs quickly as the entire class save for Anne, Gilbert, and Diana explode into chatter. Diana is horrified, Gilbert is bemused, and Anne is a bit of both. At least the entrance exams are done, Miss Stacy thinks. She fears the class would never have passed.

Miss Stacy finally lets out an ear splitting whistle. “I understand that this is a very exciting turn of events, but I am hoping that perhaps we can muster similar enthusiasm regarding your exam results?” She passes out envelopes for each student. A couple faces go pale, but they all open them at the same time.

“I got in...” Moody whispers, then louder, he crows “I got in!”

Ruby blinks at her results in proud disbelief. Tillie and Jane shriek and hug each other. Charlie and Josie give each other satisfied smirks, and the Pauls start a playful argument that the one with the lower results surely must be the other. Diana starts crying tears of joy and murmuring that Aunt Jo will be so proud.

Anne and Gilbert stare hard at their results. Anne pales.

“Is everything alright?” Gilbert asks. Anne mutely hands him her paper, and his eyes go wide. “Anne... We tied. For first. We tied! Meaning,” He drops his voice so only she can hear before teasing, “you didn't beat me after all.”

Anne turns to him, looking ready to crack another slate over his head, but quickly dissolves into helpless laughter, propping her elbows on the table and burying her face in her hands. Gilbert scoots just a bit closer and wraps an arm around her waist. Miss Stacy takes notice, but it's not worth calling out, as he withdraws after a moment with no further indication of impropriety. The simple gesture of affection brings a smile to Miss Stacy's face as she recalls those small moments shared between herself and her late husband, and for a brief moment, she experiences a new hope that it might someday be a reality for her again.

For now... For now, she smiles, and presents a cake to her new graduates, basking in the glory of the new future laid before them.


	2. Autumn I (First Term at Queen’s)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I relentlessly make fun of Gilbert's eyebrow thing a second time. Don't get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoy watching it; it just confuses the hell out of me sometimes.

It’s early evening. Early enough that, for the moment, if Anne is caught in the boys’ dormitory, the worst that will happen is being shooed out and reprimanded.

Perhaps she’ll be punished more for napping on her sweetheart’s bed, but he’s sitting across the (admittedly cupboard-sized) room at his desk, so she doesn’t care.

She’s been watching him through half-lidded eyes after actually dozing for a while. He’s looked back over at her once or twice and she’s pretended sleep both times, but the slight smile at the corners of his lips the last time he looked over tells her he knows.

Anne sits up and yawns theatrically, but it turns into a real yawn.

“I suppose I can’t accuse you of watching me all of the last hour after that,” Gilbert says, not looking up from his book. “But for the last ten minutes, I think I can be reasonably certain you’ve been awake.”

“Guilty as charged.” Anne yawns again. “I didn’t want to distract you.”

“And yet, you were practically boring holes in my skull. I have read this same page ten times, and only by the loosest definition of read.” Gilbert smiles playfully at her, and Anne returns the look, though a little more sweetly.

“I’m just making up for all the time you were staring at me, and I didn’t notice or get to stare back. I fear I’ve got years of adoration to catch up on.”

Gilbert scoots back in his chair, stands, and turns to face her. “Unfortunately, as you’ve said something so impossibly sweet, I’ve lost any capacity to study for the moment.”

Anne rolls her eyes, but her smile holds firm. “Flirt.”

Gilbert takes her hand and draws her to her feet, wrapping his other arm around her waist to pull her close. “Yes, well, that’s something neither of us got to do much for the last few years, so, as you say, making up for lost time.” He leans down and Anne leans up just a little bit to meet him in the middle for what starts as a relatively chaste kiss. However, it rather quickly and sharply turns passionate and needy, and Anne is weak in the knees, and it’s all Gilbert can do to hold her up.

The few clumsy first attempts to figure out kissing from those hot, sticky midsummer days are behind them. Now it comes as easily as the flirting and the long looks and the (admittedly few) all-night philosophical discussions. Anne tilts her head and parts her lips just a little bit more, enjoying Gilbert tangling his hand in her hair after he removes the pencil that holds a rudimentary chignon in place.

A shout from outside slows them down significantly, but they can’t bear to completely part just yet.

Another shout from down the hall is what finally does it. Gilbert clears his throat and straightens his collar and vest, and Anne quickly re-coils her hair, shooting Gilbert a shy smile when she catches him watching her with the usual adoration.

The bell rings quarter-eight, and Anne sighs. She doesn’t want to go. She never does. She wishes she could take Gilbert back with her. She’s said as much, and had to very quickly clarify when Gilbert’s eyebrows nearly shot clean through his hairline into the sky that she didn’t mean it like _ that;_ just that it’s unfair that men aren’t trusted but women are, and they’re both night owls now, so eight is very early and _ will you stop laughing at me, Gilbert Blythe?! _

(That was when she’d found that kissing him is a rather effective distraction, though she of course knows that there are times it’s appropriate and times it isn’t, and if there is an actual problem, now, they talk.)

Anne gathers her book and the papers she brought with her. “Good night, Gilbert.”

He cups her cheek with his hand and stares at her in that way that makes her feel like she’s baring her soul to him. It’s the best feeling in the world. “Good night, Anne.” He leans in for another soft, but lingering kiss. “Sweet dreams,” he adds.

“And by that you mean of you?” Anne asks playfully.

“Well...” Gilbert laughs bashfully.

Anne kisses him on the cheek and leaves. Gilbert watches her walk down the hall, then sighs and ducks back into his room. And sits down to read. Though Anne’s presence somehow lingers and comforts him, his room also feels a little too empty.

Someday, she won’t have to leave.

It’s a day they’ll keep looking forward to until it arrives.


	3. Winter I (Aunt Jo’s Soiree)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is toward the end of the soiree, so evening.

“...And this... this _half-pint_ of moxie and optimism gives me one of her looks and says, ‘So how much worse could it get?’ Had I the inclination, I would have fallen for her on the spot!” Cole laughs uproariously, as does the rest of the group seated around him.

Anne giggles, but protests, “Cole, ‘half-pint’? _Really_? I’m half a head taller than Diana!”

Cole stands and gestures for Anne to do the same. When she does, the top of her head comes to just under his chin. “As I said: half-pint.” Cole smirks triumphantly at her before kissing the top of her head.

“Brute! How do you keep getting taller?!” But Anne laughs. Out of the corner of her eye, she checks Gilbert, who is sitting in the circle next to her seat. She has explained (and he has accepted without reservation) that it is not possible for Cole to be attracted to Anne, and that Anne merely sees Cole as a brother, the same as she sees Jerry. However, Gilbert is also unused to the atmosphere that was Aunt Josephine's soiree, and, more solitary creature that he is, he definitely seems a little overwhelmed.

He is giving her his usual loving gaze, his eyes sparkling particularly charmingly with all the light and color around them.

Cole sees this. “I will never stop saying ‘I told you so’, you know,” he tells Anne, who gives him a withering stare.

Interested, Gilbert shifts forward. “What, exactly, did you tell her?”

Anne and Cole sit back down. Diana is the only person who remains in their group after Cole’s last story, and Anne realizes the guests have departed entirely. It is late, after all. She barely catches the beginning of Cole’s story. “You remember the great freight car caper to save Miss Stacy’s job?”

Gilbert nods. “How could I forget?”

“As we were leaving the platform to go about our business in Charlottetown, I said, ‘You know Gilbert has a crush on you, right?’ Anne, of course, replied...” Cole gestured to Diana, as Anne was turning several successive shades of pink.

“What?! No he doesn’t!” Diana mocks lovingly. She, Cole, and Gilbert share a laugh as Anne downs the remaining contents of the single glass of wine Aunt Jo has granted the young adults.

“I’m never going to live this down, am I?” Anne murmurs.

“Nope!” Cole and Diana chorus before Diana continues alone, “Just as you should not let Gilbert live down not having said a word to you until it was nearly too late. It’s an almost-tragical, save-the-day-at-the-eleventh-hour romance, Anne! It’s beautiful, and it’s something the rest of us can never live up to!”

Cole, Anne, and Gilbert are all staring at Diana now. It seems that, with a little bit of wine and her newly won freedom at Queen’s, Diana has become something of a poet.

Anne also wonders if there is a young man she ought to pay more attention to, but figures she’ll ask later, after everyone’s gone to sleep.

Diana yawns. “Well, I’m done in for the night.”

Cole hops up, ever the gentleman. “Allow me to escort you to your room, Miss Barry.” Diana takes his offered arm, and they’re off.

Gilbert stands and offers Anne his. She takes it, slightly nervous. Aunt Jo is… rather more liberal than most of the adults in their lives, and has placed them in adjacent—though not adjoining—rooms. She has made it clear she will brook no nonsense and someone will _know_, but she trusts them to be responsible, respectful young people.

It’s Gilbert who pulls her into his room after a long look at her when they reach the doors where they would part ways. Anne is shocked and ready to protest if need be, but willing to trust, as Gilbert isn’t pulling her into any sort of embrace. “What… are you doing?” she whispers.

He looks at her, and she feels like she’s floating and melting, and she realizes the wine’s gone to her head a little. “I just… want to hold you for a little while. We haven’t really had the chance all weekend. The closest is our waltz earlier, but it’s… just not the same.”

Anne feels tears start to form at the corners of her eyes, and she doesn’t really know why. She nods and removes the pins holding her hair in a simple, elegant coiffe Aunt Jo had insisted she wear for the party, then lies down on the plush bed. Gilbert lies facing her, one arm around her waist with the hand resting on her hip, and the other winding up her back and tracing soothing patterns in the hair at the nape of her neck. One of her arms is wound around his back, and her other is sandwiched between them, her hand gently holding onto his jacket.

* * *

Neither of them knows when their breathing finally evens out and they fall asleep. All Anne knows is that the moon is high in the sky when she jerks awake and realizes where she is, or rather with whom.

Gilbert is a little slower to rouse, but he seems astonished to find Anne in (well, on top of) his bed with him.

“I… should go back next door,” she whispers.

He nods. “See you in a few hours.” he kisses her forehead, and Anne closes her eyes for a moment.

“Until then.” She hesitates, then takes one of his hands and kisses it. Gilbert smiles and holds it close to his heart until he hears her door close and the bed creak just a bit.

He stays awake long enough to shed his suitjacket and waistcoat, and blinks hard a few times when he realizes Anne is probably similarly disrobing next door and tries very hard not to follow that train of thought where it inevitably leads tonight. Thankfully, he’s tired enough that he’s able to ignore the sensations it creates for the most part and drifts back off to sleep.

Next door, Anne is having similar realizations, and though she won't tell Gilbert, she’s awake nearly until the first rays of sun start peeking over the horizon a couple hours later. As with many things, she knows she’ll mention it in a tender moment someday, when it’s a little more proper (or at least a little more private), but for now, the promise of that day awaiting her will have to be enough.


	4. Spring I (Anne’s Birthday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to place Anne’s birthday after the spring equinox. So, technically spring? ^^;
> 
> Also, apparently I was feeling extra romantic, so these next two chapters have a lot of kissing, but guys, I swear, they do actually talk too!

Anne's seventeenth birthday dawns crisp and clear. It's a school day, unfortunately, so she spends the day trying to focus on her lessons while discreetly playing with the ribbon rosette she found in a card with familiarly scratchy handwriting pushed under her door in the morning (by Diana at Gilbert’s behest, no doubt). She keeps reading it in between classes, and every time, she sighs oh-so-blissfully.

_Diana_ _ tells me marigolds have a dreadful meaning, but I figured one pressed into a bookmark, especially with chrysanthemums, can do no harm._

_I was hoping to find roses, but, alas, March isn't the season. This will have to suffice._

The bookmark does indeed have blossoms pressed into it, and it's laquered so as to last longer. It is extremely precious, and she quickly deposits it in the copy of Jane Eyre she still has from Aunt Jo, who has promised her a delightful weekend after this one, when Anne will go home to see Matthew and Marilla.

But tonight... tonight, Gilbert has promised her dinner. She has protested, but he has promised that it will be modest, ably paid for with a tiny bit of money he's squirreled away from the proceeds of exporting some of the apples.

And so, she's given herself into excitement, and allowed Diana and Cole to style her hair after classes. It's much the same as it was for Aunt Jo's soiree, just with a few extra embellishments—Cole and Diana agree that a few loose tendrils add a certain romantic whimsy. Aunt Jo has also lent her the outfit she wore on her last quest, and Cole and Diana can only gape at the effect the completed ensemble creates.

“He's going to be speechless when he sees you, Anne,” Diana promises.

Cole glances out window. “Speaking of, your beau awaits.” He holds out his arm, and Anne takes it. Diana scurries to get the doors for them, peeking out from behind the last to see Gilbert's reaction to Anne.

He is, indeed, visibly stunned. Anne feels Cole stifle a chuckle as he hands Anne off.

“You are...” Gilbert has to think. “Nothing does you justice, but I hope you'll accept ‘absolutely breathtaking’.”

Anne smiles and giggles. “Thank you. You're quite handsome yourself. Now, tell me I'm going to be able to return this outfit to Aunt Jo unscathed. Tell me we're simply eating sandwiches or something with crumbs. Crumbs, I can deal with.”

“It'll be _fine,_ Anne," he promises before admitting “It is actually just sandwiches on the floor of my room. Not the most dignified affair, but we'll be in our element.”

Anne is glad she didn't allow Diana to talk her into a corset. Navigating the long skirt will be hard enough, but she's still looking forward to it.

* * *

They are finished with the sandwiches. Anne sits on the floor between Gilbert's legs, leaning back against his chest. His chin rests in the crook of her neck, and every so often, he presses a gentle kiss just below her ear. Anne is forced to stifle both giggles and sighs.

“Thank you for the bookmark and the ribbon,” she says quietly.

Gilbert swallows, and she feels him reach into his pocket, and her heart leaps. He produces a small metal bit, and it takes Anne a moment to realize it's a charm in the shape of an apple. She looks at him curiously, and he explains, “I tried to get your attention with one the first day we met.” He sighs. “And then I tried something less kind and got what I deserved for it. But maybe you'll accept it now?”

Anne laughs and allows him to fasten it to her charm bracelet. Gilbert pulls Anne's hand up to press a kiss to her palm afterward. “Happy birthday, Anne,” he whispers as she turns to look into his eyes.

“I love you,” Anne murmurs in response.

“And I love you,” he replies, resting his forehead against hers.

It's not that Anne is dissatisfied with this, but it's only a moment before she's kissing him deeply. She pulls back and starts trying to shrug off her jacket, complaining that it “was clearly not made by someone who intended the wearer to actually experience any manner of romance”.

“Don't rip it! Here...” Gilbert slides one sleeve off, trailing a few kisses down that side of her neck as he goes. He does the same on Anne's other side. They both know this is far too intimate to be a good idea, but neither wants to stop.

It is only when the bell tower chimes half past seven that they slow down.

Anne's hair is mussed beyond her ability to restore to any tidy semblance of its former state, so she quickly finger-combs it out, twists it into her usual study chignon, and secures it with far too many pins. They’ve somehow managed to keep more or less level heads, so only the top button of Anne's blouse is undone, and only the top two of Gilbert's shirt, and they’re hastily refastened.

Gentleman that he is, Gilbert walks Anne back to her dormitory building.

Lady that she is, Anne is discreet about tugging Gilbert behind a tree to steal one last, chaste kiss before heading inside.

After a brief chat with Diana, who gracefully declines to mention Anne’s new hairdo, she heads to her room and flops on her bed. She holds her wrist up so she can see the apple. It’s not the charm she would have expected, and it probably means more to Gilbert than to her, but it’s precious to her for that reason, and she knows she'll smile every time she sees it now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why Anne got all dressed up... really, it's just because she could. I draw a lot on my own experience, and my husband and I did similar "dress fancy; eat cheap" nights as college students.
> 
> Another one for the curious: marigolds can mean cruelty, jealousy, and grief in flower language, so the internet tells me. Chrysanthemums, however, typically symbolize joy/cheerfulness.


	5. Summer II (Gilbert’s Birthday—August)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if Gil has a canonical birthday other than being 2-ish years Anne’s senior, but I’m putting him at just shy of being 19-ish months older than Anne, so, there you have it.

“Oy, Blythe! A certain someone for you!”

The smile in Bash’s voice tells him exactly who it is. Not that he hasn’t been expecting Anne; they’ve been joined at the hip during what little free time harvest has granted them, and she has explicitly promised him a picnic on his birthday. Bash has, in fact, said that he will steer clear of the orchard today. Far too many times and with far too many winks, but Gilbert can’t be bothered to roll his eyes anymore.

The sight of Anne in a blouse and full skirt, and with her hair up still makes his heart do a jig every time. It is one (but not the only) reminder and a promise of the future they’re working toward. She’s wearing her hair in a simple, low knot—easy to rearrange should there be the need, and there will be, if the smile twitching at the corners of her lips is any indication.

He clears his throat and offers his arm. “Shall we?”

Anne nods and takes his arm. “We shall.”

* * *

As they walk to one of the more central spots in the orchard, they talk about the upcoming school term, and how the folk of Avonlea have reacted to having them back in town. Rachel Lynde has been pestering Marilla nonstop to get Matthew to have a man-to-man talk with Gilbert about proposing to Anne. She’s even started positioning herself to interrupt any possible line of sight between them during Sunday services.

“Marilla has been mercifully tight-lipped about my actual birthday plans for you, so I doubt we will have that particular uninvited guest,” Anne laughs. Gilbert grimaces, and Anne continues, “Marilla said that she expects we’ll be spending our day in the ruins, or in Charlottetown, and I believe Lover’s Lane was the one that had Mrs. Lynde turning a most curious shade of purple.”

Gilbert cannot help but join in the laughter this time, sending a silent blessing to Marilla as they reach their destination. He spreads the blanket under the shade of one of the apple trees, and picks a few from it to share, untucking a part of his shirt to give them a shine.

Their lunch is spent talking about the futures of Green Gables and Gilbert’s own farm, and curving back around to what they’ll do after Queen’s. Redmond College is the natural option, but Gilbert hasn’t given up the possibility of the Sorbonne entirely. He is inspired by something Anne idly mentioned one day: leveraging Miss Stacy’s connection to Emily Oak, he could work his way from Toronto to the Sorbonne on connections he forges himself, rather than the connections of others.

“We’ll make it work,” Anne promises him, a wry smile twisting up one side of her mouth. “If nothing else, we are well-versed in persevering through heartache.”

Casually, Gilbert replies, “I’m afraid the only solution will be to take you with me. Thoughts of you will be a distraction either way, so I may as well have you there so I can tell you about them.” He punctuates this with a look so intense Anne feels momentarily breathless.

“Oh!” She digs in the picnic basket and pulls out a parcel wrapped in cloth. “For you. Happy birthday.”

Gilbert takes it and unwraps a notebook with a painting of the Sorbonne on the front. He examines the cloth and chuckles when he notices the corners have little carrots embroidered in them. “Thank you, Anne.”

“I am afraid I took the liberty of writing a message to you on the first page. I see a piece of paper and I just can’t resist.” Anne bites her lip as she smiles apologetically.

Gilbert flicks it open and reads it silently.

_ This is a promise that no matter where life takes us—no matter how far or near—I will always support you. This past year, I have learned so much, but more than that, I’ve had reinforced what I’ve known but denied for far too long until recently: I love you. _ _ And somehow, I have the great fortune to be loved by you in return. That knowledge is my most precious treasure. I can only hope that my love for you is equally treasured by you, w__hether it is or isn’t (but particularly if it is) _ _ , I intend to remind you as often as possible. _

_ All my love— _

_ Anne _

Tears prick at the corners of Gilbert’s eyes, and there are smudges on the page that indicate Anne might have had a similar reaction while writing. He looks up to see her watching him, a small, hopeful smile on her face.

In an instant, the space between them is gone as he goes from sitting across from her to pulling her into his lap and doing his utmost to kiss her senseless and very pleased to feel his enthusiasm is equally matched by hers. He slowly eases them to the ground so they don’t have to worry about trying to stay upright. He wraps one arm around Anne’s waist, his hand dangerously low on her back, while the other hand caresses her cheek and plays with her hair. One of her hands grasps the front of his shirt, and, similarly to him, she runs the other through his hair and down the side of his face.

When they finally break apart for air, neither is willing to let the other go too far. Anne looks at the sun in the sky and groans. “I told Marilla I’d be home by mid-afternoon. Her trust extends only so far, no matter how liberal she seems in comparison to—”

Gilbert places a hand over her mouth. “Please don’t spoil this afternoon by mentioning Mrs. Lynde again.”

“Well, you just did it for me, so...” Anne raises an eyebrow, daring him to contradict her.

Gilbert sighs and sits up before pulling Anne upright and into another very sound kiss. “You’ll just have to make it up to me. Watch the sunset with me tomorrow night?”

Anne smiles. “That can be arranged.” She gives him another short peck and gets to her feet.

Gilbert hands her the picnic basket and stands before folding up the blanket they’d been occupying and extending a hand to Anne, who takes it and walks with him back to the house.

At the door, she wishes him a happy birthday once more and gives him another quick kiss before making her way back to Green Gables. She doesn’t have to look back to know Gilbert is appreciating her retreating form, but she does to let him know she appreciates him just as much before continuing home, only to wait for the promise of tomorrow’s sunset.


	6. Winter II (Queen’s Year Two)

The last time they were in this pub three years ago, Gilbert was getting ready to go on a journey. Now, it seems that this is the case again.

Gilbert has the letter from Dr. Oak in front of him. He doesn’t look happy.

“It’s Toronto, Gilbert. It’s really not that far.” Anne doesn’t have to work too hard to put on a brave face. Toronto is much better than Paris.

Gilbert is very pointedly not looking at Anne. He is sure she already knows exactly what he was feeling, but he has also had pointed out to him that he is far worse at schooling his expression than he’d thought. “But for six years? And that’s assuming I can keep up with an accelerated course of study to keep the scholarship.”

“You can.” Anne grabs his hand to press briefly, but he holds onto it.

“There’s ‘can’ and there’s ‘want to’.” Gilbert sighs. “Sorry; it’s just… it’s real now. In a way that it wasn’t before. I won’t give up on this dream, but...”

“I know.” Anne squeezes Gilbert’s hand again and withdraws hers before going to pay for their food.

As they leave, Anne takes Gilber’s arm and murmurs to him, “I’ve always wanted to see Toronto, anyway. Now, I’ll have the excuse to visit.” She smiles when she sees the blink and the quick smile before Gilbert manages to at least check that reaction. Unable to resist teasing just a bit more, she continues, “It’d be wonderful to take that trip with you. Looking out the train at the passing scenery...”

“Yes, the _passing_ scenery...” Gilbert can’t help the smile. “You know Marilla would never allow it.”

“Marilla needn’t know with whom I am traveling,” Anne says simply.

“Daring of you,” Gilbert replies. “We’ll need to discuss this at length later.”

Anne shifts only just closer, but it’s enough that Gilbert can feel it. “Is that a promise?”

Gilbert squeezes her arm. “It absolutely is.”

* * *

They make haste back to Queen’s, both because it’s snowing and because there is much, much more to talk about.

They allow themselves a moment of frivolity, when Gilbert twirls Anne and she laughs before he pulls her back in for a kiss, longer than he ought to, but just short enough that Anne doesn’t protest. She is the one to pull him close when they’ve summitted the steps of the boys’ dormitory. A pair of young men leaving the building chuckle, but Anne and Gilbert have long since decided anyone who derides them is surely just wishing they had something so wonderful.

Once in Gilbert’s room, Anne reads the letter, and Gilbert sees her face drop just a bit. She’s been brave so far, and he has every faith she will continue to be so, but the distance looms closer with every second because to respond to this offer with anything other than acceptance would be the height of idiocy. She is thrilled that he can still pursue his dream, of course, and she isn’t lying about wanting to see Toronto (nor about wanting to spend a train ride with Gilbert), but she’s bound to Redmond.

“It’s silly.” Her voice wavers. “Things couldn’t have worked out better, and yet, there’s a part of me that...” She cuts herself off with a sniffle.

Gilbert pulls her into a hug. “It’s only natural. If you’ll recall, I’m not too keen on it, either.”

Anne laughs through her tears. “Just be prepared for a letter a day.”

Gilbert sighs and nuzzles the top of Anne’s head just a little. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t try, but if I have to follow my dreams, so do you, and that means keeping up with your schoolwork. You still have yet to beat me, remember?”

Anne laughs again and pushes Gilbert away just far enough to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. “I think perhaps it’s time to count our successes together.”

_ Not just yet, _ Gilbert thinks, but he stays quiet about that thought, instead responding fondly, “Trust you to look at it that way.”

Anne leans up to kiss Gilbert once more. It is short and chaste, but when they part, their eyes are full of hope and promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if an accelerated course of study would be possible, let along Gilbert’s scholarship, but it serves the story, so let’s pretend it is.


	7. Summer IV (Avonlea Once More)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’ve been apart for a year, and Gilbert’s birthday has come around again. Being that this is the penultimate chapter, you’d better have a good idea of what’s coming.
> 
> Also, this assumes Bash and Miss Stacy become a romantic thing. I'm not sure they will, but it's cute and it keeps her around, so why the heck not play into it?

When she arrives at the Blythe-Lacroix (soon to be Blythe-Lacroix-Stacy) farm, it’s clear that Anne has been worrying. She’s managed to spread some balm on her bottom lip, but even so, there’s no hiding she’s been chewing on it.

Miss Stacy greets her with a hug. It’s not the first time she’s seen Anne since she’s returned for harvest from Redmond, but they’re no less fond of each other than they were last week, so it stands.

“Everything alright, Anne?” Bash asks as Delphine patters up to hug Anne’s legs.

“I couldn’t figure out what to get Gilbert for his birthday,” Anne confesses. “I know he treasures these picnics, but I just wish I could offer more...”

“Don’t talk like that. You’re all he could possibly want. Trust me; I knew long before he would admit how he feels about you.” Bash gives Anne a sidelong hug, and she murmurs her thanks into his shoulder.

Gilbert chooses that moment to appear. He looks a little different than usual, but Anne can’t say how. His hair is messy as ever, and he’s just dressed a little more formally since moving to Toronto. Maybe it’s that he’s actually dressed down a bit today? Anne shakes the thoughts and takes his arm, and they wander out into the orchard.

“You’re unusually quiet,” Gilbert says with a half-smile as they near their usual tree.

“So are you, and that’s saying something,” Anne quips unthinkingly. It earns her a chuckle, though, so she’s pleased. “I just… couldn’t find anything to give you.” She sets down the basket, readying to help Gilbert spread out the blanket.

He hesitates. “You think time with you isn’t enough?”

“That’s not what I...” Anne stops in shock as Gilbert kneels and takes her hand.

“Anne, every day with you is a gift. Every letter, every moment, every thought… You once said that my love for you is a treasure, and I want you to know that your love is every bit the same to me. I know that… that it’s still a long way off. It’s just that this last year apart has been a time of reflection, and no matter how long it takes us to get there…” The hope on his face is almost too much to bear. Anne’s vision swims, but she sees the ring he pulls from his pocket. “Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, when you feel the time is right, whether that’s tomorrow or next year or after we’ve both actually established ourselves, I hope—ask—beg, if need be—you to marry me.”

Tears are streaming down Anne’s face, and for a stunned moment, she doesn’t speak. Finally, she opens her mouth. “Begging will not be necessary. Yes, Gilbert Blythe, when the time is right, I will absolutely, without hesitation, marry you. Now, if you will please get off your knees, I would very, very much like to kiss you.” 

Gilbert slides the ring onto Anne’s shaking hand with his own, which isn’t much steadier. It takes him two tries, and they’re both laughing and crying and unable to form words for several long moments between the nerves and the long, passionate kiss that follows the ring actually sliding onto Anne’s finger. 

Anne’s hands are clasped behind Gilbert’s neck and his arms are around her waist when they finally pull back and lean their foreheads together instead.

“I thought something was different about you today,” Anne breathes. “It turns out I’d just never seen you nervous.”

Gilbert lets out a breathy laugh. “ I’ll admit, when the first word out of your mouth wasn’t ‘yes’, I was a little worried. There’s knowing you  _ will _ say yes, and then there’s knowing you  _ have _ .” He pulls Anne in for another lingering kiss. “Now, let’s set out this blanket, because even if we don’t eat, I need to sit.”

Anne laughs and helps him spread the blanket out. They eat their lunch as slowly as possible, gazing at each other and exchanging kisses and declarations of love between bites. As they near the end of their meal, Anne thinks to ask, “Do Marilla and Matthew know that you intended to propose?”

Gilbert nods. “I’ve never seen them so excited. I can’t believe you didn’t notice.”

Anne shrugs. “I was too busy worrying about not having a gift. Little did I know I myself would be the gift, if your words are anything to go by.”

“They are.” Gilbert looks into her eyes for the hundredth time today, and for the hundredth time today, it makes Anne’s heart leap and her stomach fizz, and the sensation only intensifies when he adds, “Anne, I love you beyond words.”

“And I love you, Gilbert,” she whispers, as she leans in again, and again, he meets her in the middle.


	8. Summer (The Wedding)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the bulk of the reason this story is rated T. I don’t think it warrants an M rating, but if you disagree, let me know.

The day is mostly a blur for both of them.

There are a few salient memories, though:

The looks on Gilbert and Anne’s faces as Matthew escorts Anne down the aisle…

The slightly scandalized murmur of the congregation when “love, honor, and obey” in Anne’s vows instead comes out as “love, honor, and cherish”…

The moment each of them says “I do”…

Their first kiss as husband and wife—as _life-mates_…

The toast Bash gives that has everyone laughing and crying, often at the same time…

Their first dance together, pulling each other impossibly close…

But not as close as they are now, with nothing whatsoever between them. It is the middle of the night, and they’re both just barely awake, basking in the bliss of having carried out their conjugal duties despite being nearly too tired to do so. Anne is curled against Gilbert, her face pressed into the crook of his neck, one arm wrapped around his shoulders, and the other hand clasped in one of his, held between their hearts. Gilbert’s other arm is draped low on Anne’s back, his hand resting comfortingly in the small of her back. His chin rests atop Anne’s head, but he occasionally presses a kiss to her forehead. Their legs are tangled together until Anne shifts to turn around so that her back is pressed against Gilbert’s chest. Gilbert places a soft kiss to Anne’s bare shoulder, and memories flood back of the aftermath of a deluge they were caught in during a visit Anne made to Toronto a few months back.

Thankfully nobody else had been present at Gilbert’s lodgings, as they’d had to strip down indecently far in order to let their things dry off, but when they’d realized that everything was soaked through, well, they had mutually come to the conclusion that marriage is as much a state of mind as it is anything else, and as long as they were careful, nobody would ever need to know. (Though it had been a weight off both their minds when Anne, sensing they both needed to know, confirmed they had nothing to worry about several weeks later.)

“_I was right; you have freckles on your shoulders,”_ he’d said. She’d given him a look before bursting into laughter, and then finally murmuring in the most alluring way, _“And just how long have you been wondering?”_

The answer she had received was not verbal, but the “long enough” that he’d meant had been well-understood.

They’ve lost track of the number of wonderful things they’ve said to each other tonight, but that number increases yet again when Anne murmurs, “Falling asleep in your arms like this is the most wonderful way to drift off.”

Gilbert mumbles an agreement that isn’t entirely coherent, but he pulls her closer, and so, again, she understands the meaning. Even if she doesn’t catch all the words tonight, she knows he’ll make sure she does in the morning, because now, she’s his wife. And he has told her that he intends to remind her of it even after she starts remembering that it’s real, and not just the dreams of a drunk, lovesick girl who doesn’t believe she has anything to offer, or of an all-too-sober, lovesick boy who just wants a reason to stay.

They’ve come so far from the day he saved her from Billy Andrews in the forest, only to tug on her braid in a desperate bid for attention later on in the day. From the day that she’d decided she was going to beat him academically. From the day she’d tried to console him, and the day he’d forgiven her for failing. From the day she’d written him about the gold, and the day he’d written her with the hope she’d write again. From the day he’d come to Christmas with Bash and given her that dictionary (which she still had, she’d pointed out). From that disastrous trip to Charlottetown when she’d just been trying to discover her origins. From that first dance that they’d shared. From the day he’d defended her against their classmates after she’d been fired from the paper. And from that disaster of a night, and that miracle that came with the next day.

The last thing they think to themselves before they drift off to sleep is that they have farther still to go, and that they will do it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand we're done!
> 
> Thank you, as always, to those of you who have taken the time to read, to give kudos, to subscribe, to bookmark, and to comment! I appreciate each and every one of you, and I both look forward to and dread the inspiration that the upcoming episode is going to bring!


End file.
